Sometimes the excellence of Chabon's writing distracted me. I would get so caught up in the way he constructed a sentence or a paragraph that I wouldSometimes the excellence of Chabon's writing distracted me. I would get so caught up in the way he constructed a sentence or a paragraph that I would have to go back and reread for content. Not an easy task for a book this thick, but so worth it. ...more

When I was in Paris I spent an hour one afternoon watching a guy make a painting of Notre Dame in front of the Seine. When he finished, I bought the pWhen I was in Paris I spent an hour one afternoon watching a guy make a painting of Notre Dame in front of the Seine. When he finished, I bought the painting, not because it moved me or because it was anything more than ordinary, but because I knew years later when I looked at it I would remember the feeling I got watching someone masterful create something from nothing.

That's kind of how this book made me feel. It's not showy the way Pulitzer's sometimes are. In fact, nothing of consequence happens in 300 pages. But I did like watching Anne Tyler construct it. She has a nice way with language, with dialogue. ...more